0
votes

Xomba-Induced Writer's Block

posted October 15, 2006 - 4:19pm
Xomba-Induced Writer's Block

When I first heard about Xomba, my initial reaction was “excellent, I can get paid to write blogs??” I was positive that it would be an easy task. After all, I’ve been blogging on various websites for years. Since it’s something I’m familiar with, posting on Xomba should be easy. Right?

The honest answer is: not really. It’s one thing to post about my daily activities on LiveJournal. That’s pretty much what my LJ is for. I post about this event in my life, or what so-and-so said and my reactions to it. I’ll see a movie and occasionally post a review, or I’ll write up an impassioned reaction to a book I’ve finished reading. When I was still a student, I would complain about schoolwork or nervously expound about the word count of the latest paper I was writing.

But, honestly, who wants to read that on here?

On my blog on MySpace, I pretend to be more pretentious than I actually am and post poems that I like, by authors who inspire me. It’s not that this isn’t a part of who I am as a person or a writer. It just also doesn’t feel right for Xomba, either.

So, what exactly am I supposed to write about on this website? What content would feel right? I’ve read through some other Xombytes and I’ve liked some of them, but I haven’t really found my own hook yet.

Like a long overdue letter to an estranged family member, though, the longer I wait, the harder it has been to write the all-important first Xombyte. I mean, it does set the tone for this thing. But, rather than worry too much about the topic for my first Xombyte, I figured writing about my writer’s block and my lack of inspiration to post anything of note would be better than not having anything on here. It may help take some of that pressure off.

Maybe this will open the floodgates and I’ll post on here so frequently that I’ll look back on this first Xombyte and laugh. Or, maybe this will be all I’ll ever write on this website. Who knows? Only time will tell, I guess…

Author: twinschick1
-A +A

Tags:
  • 12 reads

Comments

Thanks for the words of

twinschick1 - Wed, 2006-18-10 5:52 pm
Thanks for the words of wisdom. This definitely is not a blogging site - there are plenty of those on the Net. I'm working on a few things that I think may work on here. Now, to just take that leap to actually post them. :)

Based on the encouraging

twinschick1 - Wed, 2006-18-10 5:50 pm
Based on the encouraging words I've received, I do plan to continue writing on here. Thanks! :-)

LadyPeninhand Twins...my

LadyPeninhand - Mon, 2006-16-10 4:11 pm
LadyPeninhand Twins...my thoughts exactly!! Admin and eholody too!! Still, after nearly 5 weeks as a member, I've yet to post anything that I feel captures my 'essence', or showcases my writing talent. Two of my 5 posts were actually things I 'stole' from somewhere else!! One other was fiction, inspired by another writer's postings. And the other two are stories about myself, and my life...which I'm still not at all sure I'm comfortable sharing. But it's done now!! And one of those committs me to even more!! I read that one now, and think, "Holy Cow!! Why did I do that!!??"(ha!) Bit it's my best read so far... One writer commented that it will be hard for me to keep up that momentum. HA!! How did he know? You suppose he's been there too?! I do...We've all been where you are... Some days I sit here, and it just flows out of me...passion, wit, humor, speculation, intelligence born of experience....my fingers, a direct connection to my soul. But when it comes to posting them, that 'one' index finger freezes above the mouse, cursor hovering over the 'post' button, like I'm about to poke my finger into an empty socket on my household fuse box!! I know that isn't so, but still I hesitate.... When I first joined Xomba, I got caught up in reading the other posts, and commenting on this and that, and nearly slipped off into 'Blog-ivion' myself. But that isn't what I came here to do. So now I've tried to pull back a bit, to concentrate on other things, while I try to remember why I really came here. I did check out quite a few other 'writer's' sites before I found this one. And the one thing that made me come back here is that sense of community and comradery that exists here, that doesn't on the others. Bloggers, here, I think will move on, leaving behind a lot of talented writers who are seeking more than that. It seems to me that you have something worthwhile to contribute as well, or you wouldn't be here...and you wouldn't have been able to speak so eloquently about the 'block' you're experiencing. To draw the comments that you did from 'Admin' and 'eholody'--- (who is quite a talented writer)--- they must think so too. Just stick your toe in! Don't be afraid to test the water. We won't laugh!! And those who do, would probably do well to go back and read a few of their own 'first posts'. I laugh at mine, and I'm sure I'm not done laughing at myself yet!! Good luck to ya'...you can do it!! .

Lady:P

'I sleep naked.'

Xomba Admin is right, and

eholody - Mon, 2006-16-10 1:17 pm
Xomba Admin is right, and Twins, I'm glad you realized that this is not a blogging site. Some people don't tend to understand that, and it's a little irksome when you get blogs on here because really, that's not what we're here for (or, most of us). Good luck finding your hook. It's tough, really, to find something you really want to post on, especially when you know you'll get such passionate responses a lot of the time. But write what you're interested in, like the Admin said, and you'll do fine.

Excellent Point

Xomba Admin - Mon, 2006-16-10 12:49 pm
Twinschick1 hit the nail right on the head. What should you write on Xomba? Usually, I would just answer; Anything you want to write about... Let me approach that question on a more personal level this time around. We've found that magazine type articles work best. Whether it is breaking news/analysis or an article with an interesting angle. Be creative. Think about what you would want to read.

Jeremy Nettles
Vice President of Operations

Keep at it. (I deleted a

Ken Light - Mon, 2006-16-10 12:03 am
Keep at it. (I deleted a bunch of other posts before this one, I'm trying to learn to edit. Or is this the time I'm supposed to say nothing at all?)

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

Post new comment

  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • You can use BBCode tags in the text. URLs will automatically be converted to links.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <p> <br> <b> <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <img> <span> <object> <param> <embed> <table> <tr> <td> <div>
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.

More information about formatting options

Join Xomba Today

Do you like to write? Would you like to make a little extra money on the side? These people do. Join the Xomba community today.
Become a Member